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1 December, 23:52

Europe and North America are moving apart by about 5 m per century. As the continents separate, new ocean floor is created along the mid-Atlantic Rift. If the rift is 5000 km long, what is the total area of new ocean floor created in the Atlantic each century? (Remember that 1 km = 1000 m.)

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  1. 2 December, 00:03
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    The area of the ocean floor is given by:

    A = WL

    A = area, W = distance between Europe and North America, L = distance along the Mid-Atlantic Rift.

    Calculate the rate of change of both sides of the equation. This involves taking some change in A divided by Δt and taking some change in W divided by Δt:

    ΔA/Δt = L (ΔW/Δt)

    ΔA/Δt = change in area over time, ΔW/Δt = change in distance between Europe and North America over time

    Given values:

    L = 5000km

    ΔW/Δt = 5m/century = 0.005km/century

    Plug in and solve for ΔA/Δt:

    ΔA/Δt = 5000 (0.005)

    ΔA/Δt = 25km²/century
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